Valediction
by teammccord
Summary: "Oh, the places you'll go..." Elizabeth gives the commencement address at UVA.


_A/N: Sage, this is for you! In honour of graduation season (I graduated high school today — yay) I decided Elizabeth would make a great commencement speaker. Enjoy — reviews make me happy inside._

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"I'm home!" Elizabeth McCord called as she opened the front door, hoping someone was there and she wasn't returning to an empty house. She set her bag down in the corner and started pulling off her coat and high heels when she heard Henry out of their office. She walked in the direction of his voice, as he noticed her presence in the hall.

"Hi babe! I wasn't expecting you, everything work out at the office?"

"It did, miraculously." Henry had gotten up at this point, and walked over to wrap his arms around Elizabeth and pull her in for a hug and a kiss. She melted into his embrace, and sighed, the stress of the week having gotten the better of her. They'd had to deal with yet another international crisis, but pulled through after a string of all-nighters and more cups of coffee than she could count. Now she was just glad to be home, with her husband, and looked forward to a good nights' sleep.

"I saved you some dinner," Henry said, leading her to the kitchen. "I've got dumplings — your favourite."

She smiled at him, and she sat down at the kitchen table with her food while Henry poured them some wine. "So, did anything exciting happen while I was gone?"

"Ah, nothing much — I've got too many papers to grade, Ali's getting ready for AP Calc, Stevie's out on a date with Jareth, and Jason's with one of the 'dudes' getting pizza."

She sighed. Of course her family was out, they all had their own lives, and couldn't try to plan them in accordance with her crazy schedule, but she'd missed her kids, and wished they were home. At least Henry was here, she thought, and leant over to give him a kiss. "I've been meaning to tell you, I got a letter from UVA two days ago. They want me to be this year's Valediction speaker, and I have no idea what to do."

"Babe, that's amazing! I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks Henry, but should I do it? Is their former professor really that interesting, when UVA has alums like, I don't know, Tina Fey who could speak?"

"Babe, you're forgetting you are their former professor turned Secretary of State — I'd say that's more than interesting enough. And besides, we both went there, and taught there, so it'd be fun to go back and see who's replaced us."

Elizabeth laughed, only Henry would turn the offer into a chance to see what their departments were up to now. She turned to him and smiled. "Okay, I'll do it, but only if you're there with me, Professor."

He kissed her and grinned. "Where else would I be?"

…

May had finally arrived, and Elizabeth and Henry were on their way to UVA for Valediction. They were coming a day early, so they could visit with professors and see what had changed since they'd moved to DC. As the motorcade drove up to the grounds, Elizabeth reached over to squeeze Henry's hand.

"Nervous?" he asked, looking over at his wife.

"Kind of, but excited too. Is it crazy that this has me more anxious than meeting with Dalton or Minister Chen?"

Henry laughed. Leave it to Elizabeth to be more intimidated by college students than world leaders. "You have nothing to worry about babe. We taught here for years, they all know us. You'll kill it, I'm sure."

She nodded, and kissed him on the cheek before opening the door of the SUV and stepping out onto the grounds. They stood still for a moment, letting it sink in — their first time back at UVA since they'd moved, a place so familiar and yet their lives had changed so much over the last year and a half. They headed to the President's office first, to check in, and Elizabeth gripped Henry's hand again as they opened the door.

"The McCords! I'm so glad to see you both! Have a seat, have a seat," President Rodgers boomed, shaking their hands. "How have you been?" When Henry and Elizabeth had started at UVA, after she quit the CIA, President Rodgers had been a dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, and quick to welcome the couple to the university.

"Well, thank you," Henry replied. "We're so happy to be back."

"And, Madam Secretary," President Rodgers continued, "we're honoured you'll be speaking tomorrow."

"Larry, you can still call me Bess," Elizabeth said, "not _that_ much has changed."

Elizabeth and Henry spoke to the President that afternoon, and then decided to go on a little trip down memory lane, trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible — not that that was in any way going to happen with an armed detail flanking them at all times. They managed to sneak into the building housing the theology department and Henry's old office fairly easily, and crept down the corridor toward the lecture hall.

Henry pried open the door and he and Elizabeth peered inside, glad to see one of his former colleagues lecturing. Henry turned to his wife and her detail and put his finger to his lips, indicating for them to be quiet. He walked through the doors with Elizabeth and an agent in tow, staying as close to the back walls as possible, wanting to remain unnoticed. Surprisingly, they were able to observe the lecture for a few minutes before one of the students stretched and found herself face-to-face with the Secretary of State and Matt, the DS agent.

Her shocked expression was enough to alert the rest of the room, and pretty soon heads were turning and people were trying to find out what the source of the commotion was. The professor interrupted his lecture too, and focused on the back of the room where he saw no one other than Henry and Elizabeth McCord, who just laughed and waved.

"Well, if it isn't our favourite professor couple," Professor Markham said, a smile on his face. "Or should I say, our favourite professor and world diplomat."

Henry laughed. "Hey John, we didn't want to interrupt, we've been trying to stay low-key, but—" he gestured to the detail, "that hasn't been going too well."

"Hey," Elizabeth joined in, "good to see you!" She waved and couldn't help but smile as she saw the professor's faux annoyance falter and change into a broad smile.

"You were talking about transubstantiation just then…" Henry started, and Markham just laughed.

"Would you like to come speak to the class?" he said to Henry, still laughing. Some things would never change.

"Well, actually…" Henry said, grinning, as he walked down to the blackboard, ready to crash the lecture and add some input of his own.

…

The next morning, both Henry and Elizabeth were waiting anxiously to walk down to the Lawn, for different reasons. Elizabeth's reason was obvious — her impending speech, the one she had refused any help for, meaning Matt had grumbled and retreated to his office to work on other remarks.

Henry, on the other hand, had a trick up his own sleeve, that had come about after the administration had approached him two days after his wife had accepted the offer.

Now, they were standing together, as Elizabeth went through her final notecards, mentally readying herself for what was about to happen. A staff member came in then with robes, and headed over to the couple. He handed Elizabeth her doctoral robe, complete with the hood and yellow trim, corresponding to her Political Science degrees.

He had another doctoral robe though — with scarlet trim for Theology, which he handed over to Henry before heading off again. Elizabeth looked utterly confused; Henry wasn't a faculty member anymore, and so had no reason for robes. She'd been to many graduations as a professor and student, and so couldn't come up with a good reason as to why her husband was holding a robe with a sheepish look on his face.

"They're being nice to me," he said, "and letting me sit with the faculty, for old time's sake. What do ya say, you and me, another UVA graduation?" He winked at his wife, and she couldn't help but grin back at him.

"Wouldn't want to do it with anyone else."

Henry pecked her lips then, before they helped each other into their robes, as they'd done so many times before. Henry secured Elizabeth's hood gently, brushing her hair aside and leaning in to whisper in her ear. "You're gonna be great, babe. Don't worry. I love you and I'll be laughing at _all_ your jokes — even the lame ones."

"Very funny, Professor," she said, shoving him playfully. "Love you too."

…

It was a beautiful morning for Valediction on the Lawn, and President Rodgers said his opening remarks and welcomed everyone to the ceremony. When it was time to introduce the main speaker for the commencement address, he stayed sitting as the crowd wondered what exactly was happening. Elizabeth was confused as well, looking around the stage and meeting eyes with President Rodgers, who just smiled.

All of a sudden, a murmur went through the crowd as someone from the faculty section ascended the steps onto the stage. It was Henry. Elizabeth couldn't believe her eyes and looked over, shocked and confused. What was Henry doing up on the stage? What had she missed?

"Good morning, Class of 2016," Henry began as he reached the microphone, looking into the crowd. "I'm Henry McCord. Some of you may know me; I graduated from UVA myself and taught here up until about a year and a half ago, in the theology department. I'd like to think most of you remember me fondly, but there were some interesting papers of yours I've read that led to some failed classes, so maybe not…"

The crowd and faculty laughed and Henry chuckled before continuing.

"Anyway, I'm not here to talk about me. I'm here to introduce your Valediction speaker for this year, a fellow alum and former professor here, and the current Secretary of State, Elizabeth McCord." Cheers erupted in the crowd, and Henry smiled.

"Usually President Rodgers introduces the speaker, but they made an exception this year. So thank you to the administration — and Elizabeth, _this_ is why I'm in a robe too. She didn't know I was introducing her, by the way, so she's a bit surprised, and hopefully not too mad."

He winked and met Elizabeth's eyes when the crowd laughed again, and she just shook her head, utterly stunned, so he continued.

"I met and fell in love with Elizabeth McCord on this very campus when she was a first-year, majoring in Political Science. A few years later, we married, and moved to Langley when she joined the CIA. Together, we returned to UVA to teach at the university we both went to — that means so much to us. Now, my wife has taken on a new role — that of Secretary of State — with courage, intelligence, and an innate sense of diplomacy that make me so proud of her every single day. She has ensured peace and a nuclear agreement with Iran, is instrumental in aiding the crisis in Ukraine, and has had vital roles in diplomatic missions we will never hear of — that happen in secret and make sure our safety is guaranteed. Thus, it is my greatest honour to introduce to the stage, Dr. Elizabeth Adams McCord."

Henry raised his arm to the side to motion to Elizabeth as the crowd applauded. She stood up from her seat and walked over to Henry, still in disbelief he'd managed to keep this from her. As they passed one another on the stage, he winked again and she shot him a look, whereupon he shrugged his shoulders and kissed her cheek before finding his seat with the rest of the faculty. She shook her head, how could she ever stay mad at him if he did _that_?

As she reached the podium, Elizabeth scanned the crowd, looking into the eyes of all the eager, nervous, fresh-faced graduates, wondering where the time had gone since she sat in one of those very chairs, waiting for her life to begin. She took a deep breath and smiled.

"I really didn't know that was happening," she deadpanned, and the crowd broke out into laughter. "So thank you, Henry, and thank you, President Rodgers, for letting him do that. Okay, on to the actual speech."

"Good morning, class of 2016, and good morning to the faculty and the administration. I want to thank you all for the honour of being selected as your Valediction speaker today. At 22, sitting where you all are right now, I would have never imagined I'd end up on this stage one day. Honestly, it still hasn't quite hit me that I am here, believe me."

"I first want to offer my congratulations to today's graduates. You have persevered in the clutches of an educational system that has forced you to become great thinkers and questioners, to expand your horizons and minds and apply yourselves to the world's great problems. When you leave these hallowed halls, you do so as artists, doctors, authors, researchers, journalists, politicians, engineers, diplomats and so much more. Your drive and tenacity will propel you far in your fields, and I promise that the education you have received here provides for a solid foundation upon which to expand your thinking and go out into the world."

"When I was sitting out in those chairs at 22, having finished my bachelor's, I was so ready for my life to begin. I had all these hopes and dreams; I honestly thought I knew exactly where life would take me. I had a plan, maybe not stepped out in yearly increments, but a general overview of how Elizabeth Adams' life would play out. Now, standing before you, I can guarantee life did not happen exactly as planned, as it rarely does. Instead, I found new paths, forks in the road, experiences that have shaped me into the person who is standing here today, that I would not trade for the world. So my first piece of advice to you today is this: don't expect your life to play out exactly to plan. Embrace those bumps on the road, they may just send you in a new direction, one that can change your plans for the better, and open doors you never thought were there."

She continued her speech, dispensing advice, musing about her new political role, sharing anecdotes, making the crowd laugh at stories she told from her time at UVA — both as a student and a professor. As she neared the end, Elizabeth addressed the crowd again.

"I find myself in a unique position today, in an extraordinary job — United States Secretary of State. It was a role I never expected to fill in my wildest dreams, a position that seemed so abstract to me, so foreign. I was asked a question often over the course of my academic career. Did I ever plan on running for a political office? Would I consider clerking for or staffing someone on Capitol Hill? Did I have political ambition? The answer was always a resounding 'no.'"

"No, because I saw the gridlock that was Washington, the Company, the standstill that seemed to happen once one entered the political machine. That is not to say there aren't exceptions, politicians who have achieved a great many things over the course of their careers, who have advocated for and successfully legislated and enacted change. But overall, I saw the bureaucracy and overwhelming ambition for personal gain, the partisan stances unfolding, the ones that prevented any sort of forward movement."

"I decided then and there that I did want to serve my country, I wanted to stand up for what was right, to dedicate my life to public service, in some way or another. You see, change is not always achieved by those who speak the loudest, or have the most public recognition. Real progress and real work are often done by those behind the curtain, those who toil day in and day out to make this country a better place for everyone in it. _I_ joined the CIA to serve my country, and later, became a professor to help young minds like your own go forth and make change. But that was my path, and it most likely will not be yours. Thus, I urge you all to find your own passion, to follow life's bumpy road, and to make your story unique. It will take you father than you could ever dream."

"As I end this address, I want to congratulate you again, class of 2016. May your paths be long and unexplored, may you forge your own journey in this world, and may you make the most of your talents and your minds. Now, go forth and make change! Congratulations!"

The crowd broke out into thunderous applause when Elizabeth finished her speech, giving her a standing ovation. She just surveyed them all again and smiled.

…

After the ceremony finished, and Elizabeth and Henry had made niceties to the President, various Deans and other faculty members, they snuck away from the crowd for just a minute — needing some time to breathe.

Standing in a secluded hallway, Henry grinned at his wife. She really had killed it, her speech had blown everyone away. "Told you you could do it," he said, kissing her.

"Thanks," she said, blushing. "That went better than I thought it would. But Henry, what the hell? You didn't tell me anything!" She was of course referring to the introduction, and Henry just shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

"Some secrets are meant to be kept," he teased, "and it was a good surprise." He winked and she shook her head again.

"Idiot."

"But you love me."

"That I do. Let's go back to the crowd."

They linked hands and made their way back up the hall, their robes and hoods flowing out behind them.

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 _A/N: This was long, my goodness! And yes, Tina Fey did go to UVA! Please leave reviews if you liked it:)_


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